Press Releases
For Veterans: The Open Burn Pit Registry
In 2013, the president signed into law a bill I wrote to create a registry of military service members and veterans who were exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes from open-air burn pits in Iraq and Afghanistan. I have been working closely with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to get the registry up and running, and to ensure it meets the needs of our veterans. Today I'm pleased to report the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry has been launched and I'm encouraging all eligibl… Continue Reading
June 18, 2014
N.M. Counties Will Receive $37 Million in PILT Funding for Local Police, Fire and Schools
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today announced counties in New Mexico are set to receive approximately $37 million as part of the 2014 Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILT) program, an over 8 percent increase from 2013. A full list of the funding by county is included below. PILT is administered through the Department of the Interior and provides funding for mostly rural counties that have a limited ability to levy taxes due to the amount of federal property in their jurisdi… Continue Reading
June 18, 2014
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Ask Forest Service to Resolve Concerns Raised by Acequia Associations
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Representative Ben Ray Luján sent a letter to U.S. Forest Service (USFS) Chief Thomas Tidwell, asking that he work with them on a collaborative solution to ensure traditional users of Forest Service land can continue to manage and maintain acequias while staying within USFS guidelines. The lawmakers note in their letter that members of New Mexico's traditional land grants and acequia associations have raised a numbe… Continue Reading
June 17, 2014
Udall Secures Funding for Labs, WIPP, N.M. Water Projects in Energy and Water Appropriations Bill
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall joined the Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee in approving a bill that provides critical Fiscal Year 2015 funding for New Mexico's national labs, the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP), and other Department of Energy (DOE) and water-related programs important to the state. The full committee will vote on the bill as early as this week. As a member of the subcommittee, Udall was instrumental in securing full funding for key DOE programs at L… Continue Reading
June 13, 2014
Udall, Heinrich Announce $6 Million Grant to Alamogordo for Flood Relief
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich today announced that more than $6 million in federal relief funding will be awarded to the city of Alamogordo to clear out debris and sediment that flowed into Bonito Lake when monsoonal rains caused heavy flooding and runoff from the Little Bear Fire burn scar. The lake, used for drinking water and recreation, is owned and maintained by the city of Alamogordo but located in Lincoln County. The funding from the Federal Emergency Manageme… Continue Reading
June 12, 2014
Udall Introduces Bill to Help New Mexico Farmers, Communities Address Drought, Water Scarcity
WASHINGTON - As New Mexico deals with the impact of several years of severe drought, U.S. Senator Tom Udall today introduced major legislation to help the state's communities use water more efficiently and address the impact of water scarcity. His bill, the New Mexico Drought Relief Act of 2014 is cosponsored by Senator Martin Heinrich and has the support of major water stakeholders throughout the state. "Water is critical to our economy and our ability to grow, but scientists predict that water… Continue Reading
June 11, 2014
Udall: Passage of Bill to Increase Accountability at VA a Strong Step Forward, but There's More Work to Do
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall welcomed the quick passage of a bipartisan bill to correct serious systemic problems that have plagued the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including lack of accountability for senior administrators, long wait times for appointments and a shortage of doctors and nurses. Udall joined the Senate in voting 93-3 for the bill. The Veterans Care Act would give the VA authority to immediately remove senior executives based on poor job performance, wh… Continue Reading
June 11, 2014
Udall: Filibuster of Bill to Help Students with Crippling Loan Debt 'Disappointing'
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall expressed his disappointment after Republicans blocked debate on a bill to help students struggling with out-of-control college loan debt. The filibuster of the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, which Udall cosponsored, prevented the Senate from beginning consideration of a measure to allow students and graduates with existing loans to refinance at the same lower interest rates offered to new borrowers. "This bill would help our student … Continue Reading
June 11, 2014
N.M. Delegation Requests DOD Support for Development of Advanced Photonics Manufacturing Hub
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich and U.S. Reps. Steve Pearce, Ben Ray Luján and Michelle Lujan Grisham wrote a letter to Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel underlining their strong support for the Department of Defense's (DoD) manufacturing innovation institute competition, and requesting the DoD choose the development of an advanced photonics manufacturing hub in the United States as they select the technical focus area of their next manufacturing institute. In the le… Continue Reading
June 09, 2014
Udall: Audit Shows 'Unacceptable' Wait Times, Confirms VA Provided Inaccurate Information
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senator Tom Udall responded to the results of a nationwide audit of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health facilities, which found New Mexico's veterans wait an average of 46 days for primary care and identified New Mexico as being one of a select number of facilities that need a follow-up investigation. Udall called in May for the audit of the VA health care network covering New Mexico, Arizona and Texas (VISN 18), and former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki announced … Continue Reading
June 06, 2014
Udall, Heinrich, Lujan Grisham Secure Key Commitments from U.S. Air Force to Address Fuel Spill at KAFB
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and U.S. Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham secured key commitments from the U.S. Air Force to address the impacts of a major fuel spill at Kirtland Air Force Base (KAFB) that has been affecting the base and the region since the 1950s and threatens the city's water supply. They also urged the Air Force to move quickly to develop a final remediation plan for the spill. While several studies have been done, they have reached conflicting conclusions a… Continue Reading
June 06, 2014
In Senate Floor Speech, Udall Honors Contribution of Last Original Navajo Code Talker, Chester Nez
WASHINGTON - U.S. Sen. Tom Udall paid tribute in a speech on the Senate floor to the life and service of Chester Nez, the last of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, who died Wednesday morning. AUDIO: http://www.tomudall.senate.gov/files/mp3/06052014CodeTalkerSpeech.mp3 VIDEO: http://www.tomudall.senate.gov/?p=video&id=1682 "Today, we say goodbye to this great hero, this humble man who served our country with such devotion," Udall said in his speech. "We say goodbye with sadness. But also w… Continue Reading
June 05, 2014
Udall, Barrasso Bill Would Renew and Improve BLM Energy Permitting Program
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) and John Barrasso (R-WY) introduced a bipartisan bill to extend a pilot program that has helped the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) balance complex demands, including oil and gas permitting and environmental management, in New Mexico, Wyoming and other parts of the West. Created as part of the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the pilot program was designed to help the agency deal with a backlog of permit applications while balancing other duties. The … Continue Reading
June 05, 2014
Udall, Heinrich Work to Increase Accountability at VA
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich announced that they have joined several Senate colleagues in introducing a bill to correct serious systemic problems that have plagued the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), including long wait times for appointments and a shortage of doctors and nurses. The Restoring Veterans' Trust Act of 2014 would give the VA authority to immediately remove senior executives based on poor job performance, while maintaining due process for… Continue Reading
June 04, 2014
Udall, Heinrich Urge President To Revise Budget To Address Required Changes In Design And Operation At WIPP
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich urge President Obama to send Congress an amendment to his Fiscal Year 2015 Budget to ensure that the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) has the funding it needs to continue implementing the recommendations of the Department of Energy's (DOE) Accident Investigation Boards, including required changes in design and operation. A fire and radiation release earlier this year have left WIPP closed while the Department of Energy investigates the r… Continue Reading
June 04, 2014
Udall, Heinrich, Luján Honor Last Original Navajo Code Talker Chester Nez
WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Sens. Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, and U.S. Rep. Ben Ray Luján issued the following statements celebrating the life and service of Chester Nez, the last of the original 29 Navajo Code Talkers, who died Wednesday morning, and honoring the historic role the Native American Code Talkers played in the Allied victory in World War II. "The passing of Chester Nez is a solemn moment for the Navajo Nation, the state of New Mexico and our country, and my thoughts are with… Continue Reading
June 03, 2014
A Constitutional Amendment to Save Our Democracy
Step by step, the U.S. Supreme Court is dismantling our campaign finance system. Citizens United gave free speech rights to corporations and special interests. And with the Court's decision in McCutcheon, the super-wealthy have a green light to donate to an unlimited number of candidates. Now a billionaire in one state can influence the elections in 49 other states. It's clearer than ever that we need a constitutional amendment to restore integrity in our election system. Money and free speech a… Continue Reading
June 03, 2014
Senator Tom Udall: Momentum Building for Campaign Finance Reform
WASHINGTON - Today, at 10:30 a.m. ET, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on a proposal by U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) to amend the Constitution and restore power to regulate campaign finance to the people through Congress and the states. Udall's amendment would clarify in the Constitution that money does not equal speech, effectively reversing the Court's decisions in Buckley v. Valeo, Citizens United, and McCutcheon, which have unraveled campaign finance regulations and… Continue Reading
June 02, 2014
Udall Statement on Administration's 'Clean Power Plan'
WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Tom Udall, a member of the Environment and Public Works Committee, issued the following statement in response to the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) proposal to reduce greenhouse gas producing pollution from power plants to 30 percent below 2005 levels by 2030: "We've seen the impacts of climate change firsthand here in New Mexico. Prolonged droughts, more frequent wildfires and increased threats to forests and agriculture present some of the biggest economic a… Continue Reading
May 30, 2014
Udall Statement on Resignation of VA Secretary Shinseki
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. -- U.S. Senator Tom Udall issued the following statement on Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki's decision to step down. "Secretary Shinseki made the right decision today. I have enormous respect for him and his service, but the seriousness of the mismanagement and culture of deception at VA facilities is unacceptable and a betrayal of our veterans in New Mexico and nationwide. The only way to restore accountability, transparency and effective management at the VA is with… Continue Reading
